Marine faces arrest in midst of refugee crisis

A warrant has been issued for a Royal Marine who was deployed to the Mediterranean when he should have been in court.

Marcus Julian Christians (24) could be arrested when he returns from the humanitarian mission sparked by the current refugee crisis in the Med.

Christians is one of four marines from RM Condor who are accused of engaging in a fight and committing a breach of the peace in Arbroath’s Grant Road on January 19 last year.

He is also accused of repeatedly punching and kicking a man to the head to his severe injury on the same date, to which the marine has filed a not guilty plea.

It is understood that Christians has since transferred to another unit which has been deployed to deal with the crisis, but that fact was not passed on to the appropriate authorities.

Sheriff Gregor Murray at Forfar Sheriff Court postponed the trial until December 21. He added: “With very great reluctance we will set a new date and I will issue a warrant for Christians. I will leave it to the procurator fiscal’s discretion whether he is arrested or invited to attend.”

The other three marines – Kevin Hurley, 27, Oliver Bale, 21, and Sam Neasham, 21 – whose addresses were given as RM Condor, maintained their not guilty pleas to the charge of engaging in the fight.

Three other men from Arbroath have previously been sentenced for their part in the incident, and were each fined £400.